Indifference
by Elyse88
Summary: A pale boy and a dark girl are alone in a desert. Both of them have a purpose, one of them wants to die.


Indifference 

"Draco, please!" The dark haired girl pleaded.

"Stay away from me!" he replied.

They were standing opposite each other in the room of requirement. Uncharacteristically, the room was empty and cold. The girl thought it reminded her of a desert in the night, she thought it might even be sand beneath her feet as she ran over to the pale boy, but she couldn't be sure. Nothing was ever certain these days.

"Isn't this what you wanted, after all?" the pale boy said, "for the entire world to know what I am, a coward!"

"Of course not Draco, I..." she began but was cut off with a scowl.

"Go away" He told her, with almost as much intimidation as his father had once had.

The pale boy sat back on his haunches and contemplated his hands (they were too small, too lined, too weak). With his right hand, he grasped his wand and in the middle of the desert with almost no one around to witness it, he pointed his wand at the apex between his eyebrows and closed his eyes.

"You won't be able to…" the girl said, though the evident fear in her voice betrayed her lack of confidence.

The pale boy opened his eyes and looked at the girl for a moment. To him, she was: a weed that grows up through the cracks in a path and keeps on growing no matter how many times you think you've killed it, or a really popular novel- the kind everyone has read- with a predictable character and an even more predictable ending, or sandalwood spilt on carpet 6 years ago- but still smelling as strongly as ever.

Despite this, she was also: that split second before sunset when anything is possible, a trophy gleaming in its cabinet and a blunt knife, seemingly harmless but still good for gouging.

The pale boy wished it had been anyone but her who had followed him, it almost makes him sick when he thinks about the way she is fooling herself into believing that she actually cares.

"It isn't so easy when you are a wizard Draco" the girl said.

"What?" he replied, staring at nothing.

"What I mean is, muggles have to be brave but wizards truly have to hate themselves." She paused and gave him the kind of look he was probably supposed to be able to interpret but could not; "I'm talking about dying Draco" she finished.

"You're wrong" the pale boy replied, "It takes courage for a wizard too, you have to have courage to be able to hate yourself that much."

"And do you?" she replied. He simply smiled in return.

"Perhaps my greatest achievement in life will be death," The pale boy said and his smile turned wry.

"Is this how you really want to die? Alone in a desert?" the girl asked.

The pale boy contemplated her face, he thought perhaps that she wanted him to think she was concerned, but she was doing a bad job of hiding her disgust.

"Well this is the room of requirement, I asked for it didn't I?"

"Yes, but wouldn't you rather die for a cause?"

It had started, as he knew it would. The reason she had followed him, had made an effort to stop him.

The pale boy did not resent the dark girl for her lack of tact; this is how it would be. He felt her presence like one feels aluminium on a sensitive tooth but he did not resent her purpose.

"I mean, wouldn't you rather…" but she didn't finish the sentence because she had seen the look on his face.

The pale boy thought, does it even matter?

"You win," he told the girl.

"What?" she asked, disbelieving.

"Sure, I'll fight for your side"

After all, what impact on the world would he make? He wasn't a knife, or a trophy and even if he was, such things might be remembered in history but were they respected? Did they actually mean anything? Everyone died the same way.

"Why?" the dark girl asked after a moment of silent contemplation.

"Because you asked," the pale boy replied.

And why not? He was just another body after all, a wand-toting carcass. Why not let them use him for their purpose, and when he died, well what would it matter? Die now, die later. Draco was indifferent.

"Just don't expect me to care who wins," he said.

_AN. A tribute to all those people who see the futility in it all sometimes._


End file.
